


“I'm not a Monster”

by gochu_gochu



Category: Original Work
Genre: Changelings, Folklore, Horror, Original Character(s), Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-04
Updated: 2019-11-04
Packaged: 2020-12-16 23:22:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 710
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21044477
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gochu_gochu/pseuds/gochu_gochu
Summary: I'm really fascinated by Irish folklore, be it banshees, pixies, faeries or elves. But the piece of folklore which extremely intrigues me is lore about changelings. There is, to me, something extremely unnerving about having your child or a loved one abducted by mystical creatures and replaced by a replica, a strange creature brought into this realm to create chaos and despair.





	“I'm not a Monster”

“Honey? Are you home?” Bridget's mom knocked, hoping for a response. “Open the door, sweetie, let me know if you're okay.”

Thankfully, to her relief, a grumpy, messy-haired, Bridget, with deep shadows under her eyes clicked the doorknob open. Her skin looked pale and her brunette hair appeared catastrophically out of place. “M-Mom?” 

“Honey, you're a mess! What happened?” Bridget's mom asked. She had this way with words, soothing and comforting, and her neat, blonde updo and a chubby, friendly face sure helped her be a worthy contestant for a ‘Mom of the Year’ award. “You're famished! Let me make you some coffee.”

Bridget looked confused but intrigued, almost like an infant experiencing the outside world for the first time. The sights, the sounds, the smells, felt so wonderful and exciting. She slumped onto her sofa and stared at her mom, from the living room, who was in the kitchen, swiftly making coffee and humming a pleasant tune. 

“How long has it been since I've seen you! How are things between you and your boyfriend?” she asked, taking a break from the humming. “My boyfriend?” Bridget thought. “I don't remember having a–”

_Then, suddenly her memories clicked back into place, playing in her head like a fast-forwarded DVD. _

“Oh, my boyfriend!” she exclaimed. “I broke up with him months ago!”

Her mom gave a frown which quickly straightened into a sweet smile. “Whatever. You don't deserve him.”

Then, it dawned on her. “Oh no.” she muttered under her breath. 

“Ma, do you believe in changelings?”

“Honey, no, it's just old-timey folklore, what's got you so tense?”

“It's nothing.”

There was something though. Her mother wouldn't notice it now but eventually she would. As time would pass, she'd notice her unnaturally ravenous appetite and watch her getting skinnier and increasingly more sickly-looking. She'd try to consult various doctors and get Bridget to take truckloads of medication but nothing would help her. This was because, you see, Bridget wasn't human. 

Bridget was, originally, human until she was replaced by a replica and the real Bridget was shipped off to the faerie realm to be consumed or be mated with. The replica was a faerie baby, ugly-looking and sickly, better known by the general public as a changeling.

“How do I tell her?” ‘Bridget’ thought. “I don't want her to see her watch her daughter slowly waste away to nothing.” Maybe the best thing to do now was to play along.

The next day, ‘Bridget’ went out to meet her friends. They were to meet at a bar, on the outskirts of town for a few drinks. Bridget hadn't been to one of these gatherings in a long time, partly because she was a workaholic or maybe because she secretly hated them. Anyways, the doppelganger got ready and left.

The atmosphere at the bar was weird. It was dim, with a bright LED lights flashing and music blaring at full volume. The air smelled like spirit and there wasn't a shortage of people blacking out. Our changeling did NOT like it. She'd seen this place in the real Bridget's memories, but she didn't quite imagine the place to be like this.

One by one, her ‘friends’ started assembling. There was Maddy, former high-school sweetheart, Jake, the jock of the group, Linda, one who fit the stereotype of the ABG, and there was Brock, the asshole. “Ugh, I don't look forward to hanging out with these people,” the imposter thought. The group sat at the bar, ordered shots and started to make conversation. It started with them talking about Maddy's third husband, then about Linda's multiple jobs, then about the time Jake got chlamydia the freshman year of college. Eventually the topic of discourse morphed to be about Bridget. “You look, like, so bad.” Maddy pointed out. “Depression got the best of you, huh?”

“You look like you're about to pass out anytime,” Brock interjected. “It's hard to believe that there was a time that I would've boned you. Hard.”

“I mean, you weren't that great-looking before, but now–” Linda said, sipping on her Long Island ice tea, “Oof.”

_“These guys are dicks,”_ the clone thought. “No wonder she didn't hang out with these assholes before.” 

‘Bridget’ couldn't wait to get out of there.

**Author's Note:**

> “Are you a witch, or are you a fairy,  
Or are you the wife of Michael Cleary?”
> 
> -Old Irish Nursery rhyme


End file.
